Devotional for the day

[Judy Harder]

April 16, 2010

The Treasure And The Pots

READ: 2 Corinthians 4:1-11
We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. -2 Corinthians 4:7

It has been said that the Roman Empire ran on olive oil. It was used in cooking, bathing, medicine, ceremonies, lamps, and cosmetics. For decades, olive oil from southern Spain was shipped to Rome in large clay jugs called amphorae. Those jugs, not worth sending back, were discarded in a growing heap of broken shards known as Monte Testaccio. The fragments of an estimated 25 million amphorae created that man-made hill, which stands today on the bank of the Tiber River in Rome. In the ancient world, the value of those pots was not their beauty but their contents.

Because of this, the first-century followers of Christ would have clearly understood Paul's illustration of the life of Jesus in every believer. "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us" (2 Cor. 4:7).

Our bodies, like amphorae, are temporary, fragile, and expendable. In our modern world that highly values outward beauty, we would be wise to remember that our greatest treasure is the life of Jesus within us. By God's grace and power, may we live so that others can see Christ in us.

We are just the clay pots. Jesus is the true treasure within us.  - David C. McCasland

Although my outward shell decays,
I'm inwardly renewed each day,
Because the life and power of Christ
Indwells this fragile jar of clay. -Sper

Christ is seen most clearly when we remain in the background.
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Good...All the Time

John 10:10-11 gives us a great truth,

"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.  I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep."

Is your concept of God that He is good sometimes, but not all the time?  That sometimes He is blessing you; but other times, He is the source of your troubles?  If so, I want to put that notion out of your heart and mind today. 

Jesus came to give us abundant life, while the devil, the thief, wants to steal, kill, and destroy.  God is always a good God, and the devil is always a bad devil.

I remember, as a young Christian, I ran into another new convert in the park one day.  He looked troubled, so I asked him what was up.  He told me he was sick and had just received some bad news as well.  Then he went on to tell me that he was at a Bible study the day before and they told him that God was doing all of these things to him.

It had shaken him to think that God was the source of his troubles, and that He was responsible for all the troubles in his life.

A lot of people tend to think that way, but it is just wrong.  God is good all the time.  The Bible says in James 1:17,

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

There is not the slightest degree of variation in this.  God is good.  And the gifts He gives are good and perfect gifts.  I am glad they don't just stay in heaven.  God sees to it that they make their way down to you and me.

God is good...all the time. 
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Read: Psalm 34:1-22
Let all those who fear the Lord say: "His love endures forever." - Psalm 118:4

TODAY IN THE WORD
James Tissot was a French artist of the late 19th century known for a series of 700 watercolor paintings illustrating the life of Christ and the Old Testament. One piece from this series is titled "God Is Near the Afflicted," a promise embedded in Psalm 34. Tissot depicts a despairing soul in a haggard man, doubled over on the end of a disheveled bed, his face permanently furrowed by life's sorrows. His blank stare and bare feet accentuate despondency. Then there is God in the form of a man comforting the man in despair, like a warm blanket. With one hand on the man's head and another on his shoulder, God draws near, His face resting against the man's head. God's eyes are closed, and there is a translucent shawl draped over both men signifying God's nearness and consolation. Tissot illustrates what Psalm 34 promises: in love, "the LORD is close to the brokenhearted" (v. 18).
Psalm 34 is a song of praise (v. 1) and a testimony for the afflicted (v. 2). The psalm is divided into two parts: praise and thanksgiving (vv. 1-11), wisdom and reflection (vv. 12-22). The psalmist worships God for his salvation and deliverance throughout the song (vv. 4-7, 17-19). Another prominent theme is fear of the Lord (vv. 7, 9, 11). The Lord protects and provides for those who fear Him.

The writer beckons his readers to learn about the fear of the Lord, which is manifested in righteous speech, actions, and pursuit of peace (vv. 13-14). Elsewhere in the Psalms, the fear of the Lord is pictured as supreme reverence (96:4; 102:15) and obedience to His commands (111:10; 112:1).

Let's return to the promise of verses 17 through 22. The poet recognizes that those who fear God are not exempt from troubles (v. 19), but he also affirms that God saves those who cry out to Him for deliverance from affliction. To "taste and see that the Lord is good" (v. is to fear God, seek Him, and find refuge in Him.
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Are you (or someone close to you) brokenhearted or crushed in spirit? "Let the afflicted hear and rejoice" (v. 2). The Lord wants you to discover afresh His promise to you today from Psalm 34. He is very near to you to give refuge, comfort, and deliverance. Rest in Him. Perhaps you have a testimony of God's deliverance that you could share as a word of encouragement to someone in despair and hopelessness. Witness to God's love and share the good news of Psalm 34.

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

April 17, 2010

Helping Love Grow

READ: 1 Corinthians 13
[Love] does not seek its own. -1 Corinthians 13
A young man told his father, "Dad, I'm going to get married."

"How do you know you're ready to get married, Ron?" asked the father. "Are you in love?"

"I sure am!" he replied.

The father then asked, "Ron, how do you know you're in love?"

"Last night as I was kissing my girlfriend goodnight, her dog bit me and I didn't feel the pain until I got home!"

Ron has got that loving feeling, but he has a lot of growing to do. Vernon Grounds, a former writer for Our Daily Bread, who has been married for more than 70 years, shares these points about how to grow in love:

Ponder God's love in Christ. Take time to reflect on how He gave His life for you. Read about Him in the Gospels, and thank Him.

Pray for the love of God. Ask Him to give you an understanding of His love and to teach you how to live that out in your relationships with your spouse and others (1 Cor. 13).

Practice the love of God. Give of yourself. A newlywed told me he thinks love is practical. He said, "My responsibility is to make life easier for my spouse." The other, tougher side of love is to challenge each other to act in godly ways.

Love will grow when we ponder love, pray for love, and practice love.  - Anne Cetas

This is my prayer, kind Father,
So direct me from above
That I may live a life for You
And reflect my Savior's love. -Messenger

As Christ's love grows in us, His love flows from us.
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Real Goodness

Romans 2:4 declares,

The goodness of God leads you to repentance.

Ephesians 2:4-6 says,

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

God is not holding your sins against you.  He sent His Son to pay a debt that had to be paid in order to liberate you from sin.  God extends His mercy and forgiveness to you and me even when we do not deserve it.

It was His goodness that arrested my attention and that brought me to the foot of the cross, even when I was in my darkest sin, doing terrible things, abusing my body with drugs and alcohol, and doing things that should have put me in an early grave.  In fact, a number of times I nearly died.  But God loved me right in the middle of all of that.

I want to tell you, wherever you are right now, God loves you.  You may be in the depths of the darkest sin you have ever been involved in, you just feel wretched, but God loves you right where you are.

He loves you so much He doesn't want to leave you there.  His grace can reach you, change you and lift you out of any sin or situation if you will turn to Him with all of your heart.

There is no reason to fear or hesitate.  Entrust yourself to the goodness of God and say yes to Him today. 
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Read: Psalm 40:1-17
He rescued me because he delighted in me. - Psalm 18:19

TODAY IN THE WORD
For the last few days, we have read the Psalms to expand our understanding of God's love. Psalm 27 teaches that in love, God calms our fears; Psalm 34 reminds us that in love, God is close to the brokenhearted. Today's passage, Psalm 40, also fortifies our hearts to face challenging times. We learn that in love, God hears our cries and lifts us out of the pit.
Psalm 40 opens with the closing theme of Psalm 27: waiting patiently for the Lord. After a period of anticipation, the psalmist declares that God did hear and answer his cries. The poet employs two images to describe how the Lord responded. First, the Lord rescued him from a swampy pit and restored him to solid ground (v. 2). Second, the Lord replaced his cries with a song of praise (v. 3). The result of redemption is not exclusively individualistic. The psalmist's salvation is a witness that leads others to trust in the Lord, and those who trust the Lord are blessed.

Verses 6 through 8 confirm that hunger to do God's will trumps mere sacrifice and ritual. Old Testament scholar Konrad Schaefer clarifies that "ritual is worthwhile only insofar as it expresses the inner disposition," that is, desire to do God's will and keep His law within one's heart (v. .

Psalm 40 then returns to the theme of testimony. God in His love hears our cries and redeems us from the pit. This must be proclaimed, celebrated, and shared with others (vv. 9-10). Just as the psalmist refuses to keep his mouth closed about God's salvation, he also asks God not to withhold His mercy. The author knows he is desperately dependent on God; without God's deliverance, he will be overcome. His troubles are not all external, however. He confesses to God that he is drowning in his own sin, which blinds him. "Come quickly," Lord; "do not delay," he cries, for he trusts in God's love and mercy for help and deliverance (vv. 13, 17).
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
"Sacrifice and offering you did not desire" (v. 6) is a theme woven throughout the Scriptures. God rejected Saul as king because he sacrificed but disobeyed (1 Sam. 15:22); David recognized God's preference for a penitent heart over ritual (Ps. 51:16-17); and God accused the people for similar offenses (Hosea 6:6). Contemplate this message in Isaiah 1:11-20. Invite the Holy Spirit to expose areas in your life where you are simply going through the motions, or where your worship does not align with your lifestyle.


GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

April 18, 2010

A Wrong Reading

READ: 1 Timothy 1:18-20
Wage the good warfare, having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, . . . have suffered shipwreck. -1 Tim. 1:18-19

William Scoresby was a British seafaring explorer in the 19th century who responded to God's call to the ministry. An interest in the workings of navigational compasses stayed with him during his work as a clergyman. His research led to the discovery that all newly built iron ships had their own magnetic influence on compasses. This influence would change at sea for various reasons-leading crews to read the compass incorrectly. Often this led to disaster.

There is a striking parallel between the misread compass and false biblical teaching. In 1 Timothy 1, Paul warned against "fables and endless genealogies" (v.4)--man-made changes in the doctrines of God's Word. People who teach false doctrines "have suffered shipwreck," Paul concludes (v.19). Two people who opposed the Word of God by placing false teaching in its place, and who thus faced spiritual shipwreck, were Alexander and Hymenaeus (v.20).

Biblical truth is being questioned and in some cases even replaced in the church today. Our opinions must never replace the truth of God's Word. The Bible, not man's erroneous opinions about it, is the ultimate guide for our conscience in navigating life's changing seas. Beware of wrong readings.  - Dennis Fisher

God's words of pure, eternal truth
Shall yet unshaken stay,
When all that man has thought or planned,
Like chaff has passed away. -Anon.

The first point of wisdom is to know the truth; the second, to discern what is false.
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Remember

Titus 3:1-7 says,

Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.  For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.  But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Paul tells us to remember where we have come from.  Notice he said to show humility to all men and speak evil of no one.  Why?  Because we also used to be foolish and deceived and disobedient.

I thank God I am a new creation in Christ, but I still blush when I think about some of the stuff I got involved in before I was saved!  Disobedient?  Been there.  Serving various lusts and pleasures?  Up to my eyeballs!  Plus all the other things Paul mentions in this passage and a few more!

It is amazing how people in the church forget what they were like before the grace of God came into their life.  When that happens they tend to get very haughty and judgmental towards those still lost in their sin.  A harsh, judgmental church that lacks humility while verbally lashing out at sinners is one of the ugliest garments you can dress the beautiful gospel in.
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Read: Psalm 145:1-21
For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise. - Psalm 47:7

TODAY IN THE WORD
We need not look far to find presidents, kings, prime ministers, and other rulers abusing power, exploiting the poor, and reinforcing injustice. One such leader was Idi Amin, military dictator and President of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. Amin was infamous for his human rights violations, ethnic persecution, political oppression, and economic delinquency. The estimated number of people killed, tortured, or imprisoned during his reign is between 100,000 and 500,000. As day is to night, the description of God the King in today's passage is the complete antithesis of human rulers such as Idi Amin. The LORD, "rich in love," reigns with abundant goodness, righteousness, and compassion. Psalm 145 celebrates the way God's love shapes His sovereignty.
Abundant praise and worship rush out of the opening lines of Psalm 145. "Every day" and "forever" God the King is to be exalted (vv. 1-3). This King is so admired that His people testify about Him from generation to generation. The psalmist's description goes on and on characterizing the ways of God the King: unfathomable greatness (v. 3), majestic (v. 5), powerful works (vv. 4-6), good and righteous (v. 7). Again we discover a reference to Exodus 34:4-7 (v. . God is loving and compassionate toward His whole creation (vv. 9, 13, 17), He follows through with His promises (v. 13), He restores the defenseless and lowly (v. 14). More specifically, for those who call on God, fear Him, and love Him, He grants His presence, provision, protection, and salvation (vv. 18-20). In a single breath, the wicked are destroyed (v. 20).

There is an emphasis on testifying to the King's love and goodness (vv. 4-7, 11-12). Why? Verse 12 explains, "so that all may know" about the King's actions and His kingdom. Psalm 145 ends how it begins: praise to God "forever and ever" (vv. 1-2, 21). The subject of verses 1 and 2 is singular "I." The subject of verse 21 is all-inclusive: "every creature." The loving God is the King of the whole world and worthy of all praise.
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
God is a missionary God. His ultimate act was sending His only Son for our salvation. God calls us into mission, too. Paul and Barnabas preach: "For this is what the Lord has commanded us: 'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth'" (Acts 13:47). Psalm 145 encourages us to join the psalmist in witnessing to God's greatness and love. Consider with whom you can share this news! What other ways are there for you to be involved in God's mission?

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

April 19, 2010

The Secret Chamber

READ: Isaiah 50:4-5
Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light. -Matthew 10:27
People have some needs that are excruciatingly deep. Poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson wrote, "Never morning wore to evening, but some heart did break."

We find ourselves in conversation at times with heartbroken friends and may feel at an utter loss to know what to say. How can we "speak a word in season to him who is weary," as it says in Isaiah 50:4?

Telling people what human teachers have taught us may have some impact on them. But the most helpful or persuasive words are spoken by those who are taught by the Lord Himself.

That's why it's essential for us to sit at Jesus' feet and learn from Him. The more we receive from Him, the more we have to give to others. George MacDonald pictures this time with the Lord as having "a chamber in God Himself." He continues: "Out of [that] chamber . . . man has to bring revelation and strength for his brethren. This is that for which he was made."

It's through our thoughtful and prayerful Bible study, reading, and quiet meditation that God speaks to our hearts. He gives us "the tongue of the learned" (Isa. 50:4) so that we have something to share with those who are in the depths of despair.  - David H. Roper

The comfort God has given us
He wants us all to share
With others who, with broken hearts,
Are caught in deep despair. -Sper

Listen to God's heart, then speak from your heart to others.
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What's Your Motive?

The Bible says in James 4:3,

You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

James says that you ask, but you do not receive, because you ask amiss.  The word amiss here comes from the Greek root word that means to harm or to injure.  His point is:  God will not grant you anything that is going to harm or injure your spiritual life, whether in the short term or in the long term.

When you pray, God is looking out for your best interests.

But then he also said, You ask amiss that you may spend it on your pleasures.  The word pleasures has the idea of sensuality, which means, if I am asking for something just to stroke my fleshly ego, then I short-circuit the prayer by my wrong motivation.

For example, it is great to pray for a car.  I live in Southern California where we need a car to get around.  And I think God will give you a car that you like.  After all, the Bible says He gives us richly all things to enjoy.  Jesus said, "Ask, that your joy might be full."  So I think God wants us to be happy, and He generally has no problems granting your request for a car you would like.

Yet some people go a step beyond that, and their real motivation is, "Man, I want that car because I would look good in that car!  If I came to work in that car, I would really show up so-and-so.  People would think I'm pretty fine if I had that car.  If I had that car, the chicks would dig me."

Be careful when you pray to not slip over into a motivation that is not really pure.  Because you will short-circuit your faith and you will not receive an answer-except "no".
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Read: Lamentations 3:19-32
Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed. - Lamentations 3:22

TODAY IN THE WORD
Joanne sat listless. As she reflected on the last year, her heart felt like it would implode. She rehearsed Jeremiah's words in a faint whisper: "I have cried until the tears no longer come; my heart is broken" (Lam. 2:11, NLT). Joanne had just heard that her sister, Brenda, had filed for divorce. After decades of emotional abuse and her husband's refusal to participate in counseling, Brenda was half the woman she was when she married and was now too tired to keep trying to salvage her painful marriage. What a devastating severance. Joanne's mind wandered. It had only been one month since her best friend, Elaine, lost her short battle with brain cancer, and only ten months since another close friend passed away from ALS. The pain felt unbearable.
The prophet Jeremiah endured a season of lament after the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians in 586 B.C. Jeremiah mourned the destruction of the city and the exile of God's people. The tragedy was deeply personal and spiritual for him and all God's people. The book of Lamentations describes this great sorrow, and today's passage is like a lighthouse of hope.

Just as Joanne sat reflecting, so also Jeremiah remembers his suffering (vv. 19-20). "Yet" bursts off the page (v. 21); even in the midst of anguish, Jeremiah says, "I have hope." His is not a false hope. It is grounded in the Lord's great love.

Listen to echoes of Exodus 34:4-7. The LORD is always compassionate, ever faithful, and committed to His people. We are not consumed, destroyed, or overcome by our pain precisely because of God's love. Our Father's mercies are new for us every morning. Two words weave through verses 21 through 29: "hope" and "wait." Jeremiah knows that joy does not come instantly; to hope is to wait. At least 40 years passed before God began to redeem His people from exile and restore Jerusalem and the temple. Only a robust confidence in the Lord could sustain such a long season of lament and waiting.
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Many of us can easily relate to Joanne and connect with Jeremiah's feelings: "my soul is downcast within me" (v. 20). Remember, "the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit" (Ps. 34:18). Jesus Himself faced death, pain, and agonizing abandonment from God the Father. He surrendered Himself to God (Matt. 26:42; Luke 23:46), and God raised Him from the dead (Acts 2:24). Today, trust in God's compassion and faithfulness to minister to your tender heart and bring you hope.

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

April 20, 2010

Poor Examples

READ: Matthew 23:1-13
Whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. -Matthew 23:3

A woman in Oregon was caught driving 103 miles per hour with her 10-year-old grandson in the car. When she was stopped by the police, she told them that she was only trying to teach him never to drive that fast. I suppose she wanted him to do as she said, not as she did.

The Pharisees and teachers of the law seemed to have a similar problem. Jesus had a scathing assessment of them: They were spiritually bankrupt. He held these two groups directly responsible for this sad spiritual condition. As the successors of the lawgiver Moses, they were responsible for expounding the law so that people would walk in God's ways and have a genuine and vibrant relationship with the Lord (Deut. 10:12-13). But their personal interpretation and application of the law became more important than God's law. They did not practice what they preached. What they did observe was done not to bring glory to God but to honor themselves. Jesus exposed who they were-image managers, posers, and hypocrites.

The test of the effectiveness of following Jesus is not just in what we say but in how we live. Are we telling others God's Word and doing what it says? Let's model by words and actions what it means to follow Him.  - Marvin Williams

Christians, remember you bear His dear name,
Your lives are for others to view;
You are living examples-men praise you or blame,
And measure your Savior by you. -Anon.

A good example preaches a powerful sermon.
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Obey and Get Unstuck

Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk" (John 5:.

These words were spoken to a man who had been sick for 38 years!  His bed had been carrying him, and now Jesus was telling him to carry his bed!

We have discussed several keys to getting unstuck from your problems in our last devotions.  First, we must genuinely want to be free, and second, we must stop shifting the blame for our problems to others.

The final key I want to share with you is found in the above verse.  It is to obey what the Lord tells you.  Whether it makes sense or not-obey!

To a man who had been carried by his bed for 38 years, rising up and carrying his bed must have seemed crazy!  But the moment he began to obey, new life and strength began to flow into his previously paralyzed limbs.

Listen for the Lord's instructions in your heart.  Search for them in His Word. There is no faith without action.  There will be something that God will require you to do in order to release or express your faith.

It may make sense to you-or it may not.  But to quote Mary, the mother of Jesus, "Whatever He says to you, do it" (John 2:5).

After pastoring the same church for several decades, I have observed that many people remain stuck in their problems.  Not because the Lord hasn't spoken to them, but because He has and they haven't obeyed.

If there is any unfilled obedience in your life, get busy and do what the Lord has told you to do.  It is the only way to get unstuck. 
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Read: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
As I have loved you, so you must love one another. - John 13:34

TODAY IN THE WORD
Spanish Renaissance artist El Greco once said, "I hold the imitation of color to be the greatest difficulty in art." If art is likened to life, then the imitation of Christ is our greatest difficulty. As with color, embodying the nuances, simplicity, and grandeur of Jesus is not intuitive to our sinful nature. To love like Christ can only be accomplished by the work of our Creator God through His Holy Spirit in us. First Corinthians 13:3 tells us that love is the essential characteristic of followers of Jesus, and our passage today paints the ultimate description of God's love.
Verse 4 opens with "love is." Remember our study of 1 John 4:8-10, "God is love," and let this be the backdrop for today's passage. Verses 4 through 7 enumerate characteristics of love: what love does and does not do, how love functions and what it avoids. Comparing different Bible translations and paraphrases helps to enliven this familiar passage. For example, The New Living Translation reads: "[Love] does not demand its own way. It is not irritable." The Message paraphrase reads: "Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self . . . Isn't always 'me first' . . . Doesn't keep score of the sins of others, doesn't revel when others grovel . . . Always looks for the best." Notice how the ways of love all depend upon confidence in God's promises in new creation and the future renewal of all things (v. 7). Love is forward looking; it sees beyond what is to what will be (cf. Gal. 5:5-6).

"Love never fails" precisely because God is eternal and God is love. All true human loving must be grounded in God. This is one way we "participate in the divine nature" and imitate Christ (2 Peter 1:3-4). One necessary component of love is that it always involves others; we cannot love unless we are in relationship. Remember that our passage today follows 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 about the body of Christ. In illuminating love in 1 Corinthians 13, Paul strengthens the community of Christ followers.
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Today's passage is a fixture in wedding ceremonies, but let us not be mistaken: 1 Corinthians 13 is not only about the relationship between a husband and wife. It describes God's love that should permeate our relationships with all people. Ponder the characteristics of love listed, perhaps in a translation different from the one you regularly read. Invite the Holy Spirit to draw your attention to one characteristic in particular that He wants to shape in you; consider how it manifests in specific relationships in your life.

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotional

April 21, 2010

False Hope

READ: Ephesians 2:1-10
By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works. -Ephesians 2:8-9

The name of a pretty Bavarian town in Germany shares the name of a place of horror-Dachau. A museum on the grounds of this infamous Nazi concentration camp attracts many World War II history buffs.

As you look around, it would be hard to miss the misleading words welded to an iron gate: Arbeit Macht Frei. This phrase-Work Makes You Free-was just a cruel lie to give false hope to those who entered this place of death.

Many people today have false hope that they can earn a place in heaven by working at being good or by doing good things. God's standard of perfection, however, requires a totally sinless life. There's no way any of us can ever be "good enough." It is only through the sacrifice of the sinless Savior that we are made righteous. God made Jesus "who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21). Eternal life is given because of God's gift of grace-not because of our good works (Eph. 2:8-9).

Don't let Satan trick you by giving you false hope that your good works will save you. It is only through Jesus' work on the cross that you can have real freedom.  - Cindy Hess Kasper

Accept the teaching of the world
And hopeless you will be,
But trust in God's eternal plan
If you want life that's free. -Branon

We are not saved by good works, but by God's work.
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Confounding the Wise

In 1 Corinthians 1:20, 27-29, the apostle Paul provides a very powerful word,

Where is the wise?  Where is the scribe?  Where is the disputer of this age?  Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?  But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.

We are often enamored with what the world considers wise and mighty, but God isn't.  In fact, He chooses things that are foolish and weak, things the world considers insignificant, and things the world even despises, to put to shame the things that people consider wise.

I really like the King James Version when it states that God does these things to confound the wise.

We need to understand that sometimes God turns human conventional wisdom on its head.  And I believe Scripture shows us three ways in which He does that. 

First, there are times that God turns conventional wisdom on its head with the people He chooses for His purposes.  Second, He will confound human wisdom with the plans He unfolds.  Whether they are for your deliverance, or plans to further His kingdom and expand His work.

And then, third, God will truly confound the wise of this world with the pardon that He provides.

Through people, plans, and pardon, God does confound the wise!
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Read: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
As I have loved you, so you must love one another. - John 13:34

TODAY IN THE WORD
Spanish Renaissance artist El Greco once said, "I hold the imitation of color to be the greatest difficulty in art." If art is likened to life, then the imitation of Christ is our greatest difficulty. As with color, embodying the nuances, simplicity, and grandeur of Jesus is not intuitive to our sinful nature. To love like Christ can only be accomplished by the work of our Creator God through His Holy Spirit in us. First Corinthians 13:3 tells us that love is the essential characteristic of followers of Jesus, and our passage today paints the ultimate description of God's love.
Verse 4 opens with "love is." Remember our study of 1 John 4:8-10, "God is love," and let this be the backdrop for today's passage. Verses 4 through 7 enumerate characteristics of love: what love does and does not do, how love functions and what it avoids. Comparing different Bible translations and paraphrases helps to enliven this familiar passage. For example, The New Living Translation reads: "[Love] does not demand its own way. It is not irritable." The Message paraphrase reads: "Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self . . . Isn't always 'me first' . . . Doesn't keep score of the sins of others, doesn't revel when others grovel . . . Always looks for the best." Notice how the ways of love all depend upon confidence in God's promises in new creation and the future renewal of all things (v. 7). Love is forward looking; it sees beyond what is to what will be (cf. Gal. 5:5-6).

"Love never fails" precisely because God is eternal and God is love. All true human loving must be grounded in God. This is one way we "participate in the divine nature" and imitate Christ (2 Peter 1:3-4). One necessary component of love is that it always involves others; we cannot love unless we are in relationship. Remember that our passage today follows 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 about the body of Christ. In illuminating love in 1 Corinthians 13, Paul strengthens the community of Christ followers.
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Today's passage is a fixture in wedding ceremonies, but let us not be mistaken: 1 Corinthians 13 is not only about the relationship between a husband and wife. It describes God's love that should permeate our relationships with all people. Ponder the characteristics of love listed, perhaps in a translation different from the one you regularly read. Invite the Holy Spirit to draw your attention to one characteristic in particular that He wants to shape in you; consider how it manifests in specific relationships in your life.

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

April 22, 2010

The Rescue Business

READ: Romans 3:10-22
There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. -Luke 15:10

Living in Colorado, I climb mountains. On summer weekends, I see casual hikers who have no idea what they are doing. In sandals, shorts, and T-shirts, carrying a single container of water, they start up a trail at mid-morning. They have no map, no compass, and no rain gear.

My neighbor, who volunteers for Alpine Rescue, has told me stories of tourists rescued from certain death after wandering off a trail. Regardless of the circumstances, Alpine Rescue always responds to a call for help. Not once have they lectured a hapless tourist, "Well, since you ignored the rules of the wilderness, you'll just have to bear the consequences." Their mission is rescue. They pursue every needy hiker, no matter how undeserving.

The central message of the Bible is one of rescue. Paul points out that none of us "deserve" God's mercy and none of us can save ourselves. Like a stranded hiker, all we can do is call for help. Quoting the psalmist, he says, "There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God" (Rom. 3:10-11; Ps. 14:1-3).

The good news of the gospel is that in spite of our state, God seeks after us and responds to every plea for help. You might say that God is in the rescue business.  - Philip Yancey

Thinking It Over
What keeps you from calling out to God for spiritual rescue? Your pride? Do you fear that you are too bad for God's grace? What does Romans 3:23-26 say?

The heart of repentance is turning from sin and toward God.
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God's Choice of People

1 Corinthians 1:26 says,

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.

God does not call a lot of people who our world would consider wise, noble or mighty.  He calls a few, but not many.  The fact of the matter is, God will use anyone who will yield himself or herself to Him.

The idea Paul wants us to understand is that the vast majority of people God chooses are a surprise to everyone else.  God's choices are generally not on our "A" list of people.

Think about the apostle Paul himself, who wrote these very words in 1 Corinthians, chapter 15, I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.  And the next words out of his mouth are profound, But by the grace of God I am what I am.

Paul was a persecutor of Christians.  In fact, he was so filled with hatred he even went to foreign cities to have believers arrested, families split apart, Christians jailed, beaten, and at times even executed.  And yet, God chose Paul as His mouthpiece.

It was so astonishing to many in the church that they didn't want to receive Paul when he was first saved.  They thought it was a trick.  It took them a while to understand that God actually had saved him and was using him.

Paul would not have been one of their primary choices as a vessel for God.  I love that about the Lord.  He uses the unexpected and those we might pass over to carry out some of His most important work. 
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Read: John 15:9-17
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. - Matthew 6:10

TODAY IN THE WORD
After issues plagued her bathrooms, Mrs. Kim finally called a plumber. As the truck approached, she noticed the message: "Family-owned and operated since 1935." The father-son team worked quickly with remarkable competence. Steve explained that his grandfather and father had both been plumbers, and that his son, Robert, was apprenticing with him now to learn the family business: "Like my father and grandfather before him, I want to pass down the necessary skills and character for my son to fulfill our mission." In today's reading, Jesus invites us to apprentice with Him in His Father's mission.
Observe the parallels between the Father's relationship with Jesus and Jesus' relationship with His disciples. First, Jesus loves His disciples just as the Father has loved Him (v. 9). God's love is the cornerstone of today's passage. In love, the Father sent Jesus into the world "that we might live through him" (1 John 4:9). Second, Jesus' obedience was the result of a life lived in the Father's love. We also make Jesus' love our dwelling place when we obey (v. 10). Jesus highlights one particular command. He indicates His sacrificial death as the kind of love for others He intends (vv. 12-13). God's love is not only life giving, it also produces complete joy. Everything originates with Jesus before we experience it: love, obedience, and joy.

Third, everything Jesus has learned from His Father, He has passed down to us (v. 16). Jesus fulfills His Father's mission, and He calls us to join it, too (cf. John 5:17). Jesus declares: "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you" (20:21). We remain in God's love as we participate in this incarnational mission as God's sent ones.

Jesus clarifies the context of our relationship with Him and the Father. We are not slaves, obliged to submit to the Father's rules. We are friends, joyfully joining His work of redemption in the world. We know we are friends because we are made privy to the Father's business, and God has purposed us to bear fruit in His kingdom.
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Jesus promises: "Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name" (v. 16). The context for answered prayer is God's mission. The Father answers prayers that accord with and are focused upon pursuit and fulfillment of His work. Prayers that are motivated by selfishness are not aligned with the will of God; we should not interpret this verse as a magic word to get whatever we want. Rather, praying in Jesus' name recognizes His authority over our lives and our desire to live out our calling as His followers.

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

April 23, 2010

Longing For Spring

READ: Ecclesiastes 3:1-13
Nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives. -Ecclesiastes 3:12

It's been a long, cold winter, and I am eager for warm weather. I'm tired of seeing bare trees and lifeless brown leaves covering the ground. I long to see wildflowers poke through the dead leaves and to watch the woods turn green once more.

Yet even as I anticipate my favorite season, I hear my mother's voice saying, "Don't wish your life away."

If you're like me, you sometimes hear yourself saying, "When such and such happens, then I will . . . or, If only so and so would do this, then I would do that . . . or, I would be happy if . . . or, I will be satisfied when . . ."

In longing for some future good, we forget that every day-regardless of the weather or our circumstances-is a gift from God to be used for His glory.

According to author Ron Ash, "We are where we need to be and learning what we need to learn. Stay the course because the things we experience today will lead us to where He needs us to be tomorrow."

In every season, there is a reason to rejoice and an opportunity to do good (Eccl. 3:12). The challenge for each of us every day is to find something to rejoice about and some good to do-and then to do both.  - Julie Ackerman Link

Just as the winter turns to spring,
Our lives have changing seasons too;
So when a gloomy forecast comes,
Remember-God has plans for you. -Sper

Every season brings a reason to rejoice.
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A Seedbed of Faith

In Judges 6:11-15, we read this about Gideon,

Now the Angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites.  And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, "The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!"  Gideon said to Him, "O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us?  And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, 'Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?'   But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites."  Then the LORD turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites.  Have I not sent you?"  So he said to Him, "O my Lord, how can I save Israel?  Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house."

We often think of Gideon as a great champion for Israel, and he was.  But when he was chosen, we found him cowering in the winepress.  He was hiding, he was fearful, he was negative, he was doubtful, and he was questioning. 

While we might be critical of Gideon, I have found that the only people who never question are those who have been indoctrinated.  Sometimes you need to doubt.  Sometimes you need to question.  In fact, a lot of times uncertainty is the seedbed from which faith grows.

If you are struggling with doubt today, if you have genuine questions, don't panic.  If you are sincerely looking for answers, God will meet you, and faith will spring from the answers you find. 
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Read: John 17:20-26
I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth. - Acts 13:47

TODAY IN THE WORD
"Most of our brother Christians showed unbounded love and loyalty; never sparing themselves and thinking only of one another." Around A.D. 260, Dionysius of Alexandria described the self-sacrificial love and unity Christians demonstrated to one another and to unbelievers during a plague that swept the Roman Empire. He continued, "they took charge of the sick, attending to their every need and ministering to them in Christ . . . they were infected by others with the disease, drawing on themselves the sickness of their neighbors and cheerfully accepting their pains." This response to God's love results in powerful witness to the world that today's passage commends.
Our Bible reading today is part of the longest prayer of Jesus recorded in the New Testament (John 16:1-17:26). In sum, Jesus prayed that believers would share in God's love, glory, and unity. Insofar as they do this, they become a sign to the world of the love that is shared between the Father and the Son (v. 23).

Jesus' prayer describes the eternal relationship of perfect love and unity between the Father and Son, a mystery that strains human comprehension (vv. 21, 24; cf. John 1:1-2). It is amazing to hear Him pray that when believers exemplify this same love and unity, they are a symbol of God's love to an unbelieving world.

Believers are capable of unity because they are recipients of God's glory. Jesus is the full revelation of God's glory; all who receive Him are privileged to become children of God (John 1:12, 14). "World" occurs four times in today's text and refers to God's creation that remains in darkness, hostile to Him. The world rejects Jesus and therefore rejects God. Yet, the world remains an object of God's love (3:16). Just as Jesus is a mediator between God and the world, Jesus prays that His followers would be the embodiment of God's love to the world (v. 23), since God's love now dwells in them through Christ (v. 26).
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Unity between the Father and Son is demonstrated in John's Gospel as pure love and Jesus' perfect obedience to the Father's will. Jesus prays that as a result of sharing in God's love and glory through Christ, believers would be unified, a "message" to the world (v. 20). How does your local church reflect God's love? Is there hostility among you that needs to be reconciled? Are there areas of disobedience to be conformed to God's will? Imagine how unity in God's love would speak to the world around you.


GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

Daily Devotional

April 24, 2010

A "Banana Slug" Lesson

READ: Micah 6:1-8
What does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? -Micah 6:8

Sports team names have a variety of origins. They come from history (Spartans, Mountaineers), nature (Cardinals, Terrapins), and even colors (Orange, Reds). One even comes from the mollusk family.

In the 1980s, the University of California at Santa Cruz was just starting to get involved in competitive sports. UCSC had a bit of disdain for the overemphasis some big-time schools place on athletics, so the student body sought a team name that would reflect a somewhat different approach. They decided on the Banana Slug, a yellow, slimy, slow, shell-less mollusk. It was a clever way for UCSC to give a balanced perspective on the relative worth of sports.

I have always loved sports, but I know that they can easily become more important than they should be. What matters most in life is what Jesus said is most vital-loving God with all of our hearts and loving our neighbors as ourselves (Matt. 22:37-39). Micah listed God's requirements this way: "do justly," "love mercy," and "walk humbly with your God" (6:. For believers in Jesus, it is vital that nothing else takes top priority over God's expectations for us.

What matters most to you? The Spartans? The Red Sox? Or loving God in thought, word, and action?  - Bill Crowder

Lord, what matters most to You today?
What can direct us in each thing we do?
Could it be to let nothing at all
Interfere with our deep love for You? -Branon

Beware of spending too much time on matters of too little importance.
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The Most Important Quality

In 1 Samuel 16:6-7, when Samuel came to Jesse's house to anoint the next king of Israel, we see the criteria God uses to choose people for service to Him,

So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, "Surely the LORD'S anointed is before Him."  But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical  stature, because I have refused him.  For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

This is a fascinating story with a very strong lesson I want you to understand.  Right after these verses, Jesse parades each of his sons before Samuel...except for David.  Jesse knows why Samuel is there, but he doesn't even bother to get David.

David's own father had written him off.  His own father didn't see enough potential in him to call him before Samuel.

But David was anointed king that day.  Not based on what Jesse thought was important, but on what God thought was important...David's heart.

Maybe your own father has written you off.  Maybe your parents said you would never amount to anything.  Maybe your teacher said, "Look, you're not going to amount to much.  You just better get yourself a minimum wage job."

Only God can see things in your heart that your father can't see, that your mother can't see, that your teachers didn't see, that your family doesn't see, that the people around you don't see.

It is not that God overlooks ability or talent or training.  All of those things are important.  But God looks first at the most important quality for service, and that is the heart.

Don't let someone else write your history before it happens. 
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Read: Luke 6:27-36
Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me! - Psalm 66:20

TODAY IN THE WORD
"It could not have been many seconds that he stood there, hand held out; but to me it seemed hours as I wrestled with the most difficult thing I had ever had to do." These are the words of Corrie ten Boom as she recalled the day a former guard at Ravensbruck concentration camp, where she and her family were imprisoned during World War II for hiding Jews and members of the Dutch resistance movement, approached her to seek her forgiveness. Remembering Jesus' teaching from today's passage, Corrie extended her hand in love. Corrie wrote: "You never so touch the ocean of God's love as when you forgive and love your enemies." Let's consider the words and love of Jesus that moved Corrie ten Boom to do the impossible.
Our passage today is part of a larger sermon that Jesus delivered beginning in Luke 6:17. We may compare it to its larger and well-known counterpart in Matthew 5 though 7, the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus' message is radical. He says that the poor and hungry are blessed and proclaims woes on the rich and well fed (Luke 6:20-26). He says we must reconcile with our neighbor before we come to worship Him (Matt. 5:23-24). He says we must not store up treasures on earth (Matt. 6:19), and in today's passage He exhorts us to "the most difficult thing," to love our enemies (v. 27).

The next verses expound upon this charge. In the face of hate and violence, Jesus calls His followers to the opposite. In response to hate, we love; to offense and mistreatment, we invoke God's favor through prayer. We trade our craving for retaliation for actions of self-sacrifice and shame.

What is the rationale behind and result of this incomprehensible behavior? The grounds for this revolutionary love is the Father's love and mercy; He Himself is "kind to the ungrateful and wicked," namely to us-remember the message of Romans 5:8? As His children, we are to be like Him, to love like Him (vv. 35-36).
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Are you experiencing hate, cursing, and mistreatment? Perhaps you are treated differently at work because of your faith, or your family's resistance to faith is hurting you. Whatever the circumstance, pray for strength and humility to follow the path Christ illuminates in today's passage. Begin loving and praying for your enemies, seeking God's goodness in their lives and giving your desires for retribution and vindication to Him. If you are in an abusive relationship, you need to remove yourself and seek healing immediately.

GOD BLESS!

[Judy Harder]

 
Hope you are enjoying this Lords day. 

The Gospel Hiway KGHY 
 
Daily Devotional

April 25, 2010

Our Co-Pilot?

READ: Galatians 2:11-21
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. -Galatians 2:20

The bumper sticker "Jesus is my co-pilot" may be a well-intentioned sentiment, but it has always troubled me. Whenever I'm in the driver's seat of my life, the destination is nowhere good. Jesus is not meant to be just a spiritual "co-pilot" giving directions every now and then. He is always meant to be in the driver's seat. Period!

We often say that Jesus died for us, which of course is true. But there's more to it than that. Because Jesus died on the cross, something inside of us died-the power of sin. It's what Paul meant when he said, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me" (Gal. 2:20). We were essentially co-crucified with Him. With Jesus in the driver's seat, the old destinations are off-limits. No more turning down the streets of self-centeredness, greed, or lust. No more off-road ventures into the swamp of pride or the ditch of bitterness. We were crucified with Him and He is at the wheel now! He died so that He alone can drive and define us.

So, if you've died and Christ lives in you, He's not your co-pilot. Your joy is to let Him drive and define your life. There may be a few bumps in the road, but you can count on it-He'll take you somewhere good.  - Joe Stowell

Lord, I thank You for salvation,
For Your mercy, full and free;
Take my all in consecration,
Glorify Yourself in me. -Codner

Still at the wheel of your life? It's time to let Jesus drive.
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The First Step Toward Freedom

Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches.  In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.  For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.  Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.  When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?" (John 5:2-6).

Jesus asked this man a seemingly ridiculous question, "Do you want to be made well?"  It's obvious isn't it?  He is at the ool, isn't he?  The only reason people went there was to be healed.  What kind of a question is that to be asking?  Of course, he wanted to be healed.

But Jesus was not convinced.  This man had been stuck in his condition for a long time.  He was not only lying down on the outside, he was lying down on the inside.

Sometimes people get used to living in their problems.  While they may outwardly be going through the motions to get free (generally because they know that is what is expected of them), inwardly they have given up.

The first step toward getting free from your problems and that which binds and restricts your life is wanting it-really wanting it.

You have to stand up on the inside before you can ever stand up on the outside.

Let me be very bold and ask you:  Do you want to be made well?  Do you really want things to change?  Or have you grown accustomed to living under the devil's heel?

If you are tired of defeat, mediocrity and bondage, then stand up on the inside and say, "Enough is enough!"

It is the first step toward freedom. 
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Read: 2 Corinthians 5:13-6:2
Christ's love compels us. - 2 Corinthians 5:14

TODAY IN THE WORD
Traveling to Turkey as a tourist and traveling as a diplomat are two completely different experiences. Tourists act as consumers, making decisions based entirely on their personal preferences and seeing the sites with eyes of a civilian. The diplomat, on the other hand, acts and speaks as a representative of someone else's purposes and sees everything and everyone through the lens of social, political, and economic global realities.
We do not simply consume God's love like a tourist. God's love for us in Christ moves us. It urges us on, persuading us to do something. Why? Because we are certain that Jesus died on behalf of all people that we might have life. Christ's death transforms all of life.

In today's text, Paul sets forth two ways Christ's death changes things and compels us. First, His death completely redirects how people live. We no longer live for ourselves, but for Christ (v. 15). Second, Christ's death alters how we view others. We no longer see from a worldly point of view (v. 16). We regard others based on the inner person, rather than what is seen of the outer person. Our understanding of who people are and how they are doing is not based on the clues we get from the outside appearance. This is how the world views people.

Beginning in verse 17, Paul introduces the dramatic in-breaking of new creation: "the old has gone, the new has come!" (cf. Rom. 8:21; Gal. 6:15; Revelation 21). Paul reminds us again that this radical transformation and new life come from God.

He also returns to the idea that we do not simply receive and consume God's love (v. 18). Reconciliation is spoken of in the context of family and friendship; it is the restoration of broken relationships. God repaired our relationship with Him in Christ and has in turn empowered us to embody this peacemaking with others by practicing reconciliation. In doing this, "we are Christ's ambassadors," His representatives, inviting others to be reconciled to God (v. 20).
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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Second Corinthians 6:2 persuades us that the right time to respond to God's love is now. We are all invited to be ministers, practitioners, and representatives of God's love through reconciliation. Do you have a broken relationship with a friend or family member? Today is the day to pursue restoration. We experience true healing and peace in our relationships because God has first reconciled us to Himself through Christ. Begin with prayer, then initiate the giving and receiving of forgiveness and grace.

GOD BLESS!